With over 800 bookstores, thousands of kioscos selling affordable plastic-bound paperbacks, and the huge Feria Internacional del Libro festival, Buenos Aires has a thriving literary culture and has produced some highly prestigious authors, past and present.
In fact, Buenos Aires has more bookshops per capita (25 for every 100,000 people) than any other city in the world (see here). In 2011, UNESCO awarded the city the title of ‘World Book Capital’, and in 2016, website The Culture Trip declared the city one of the 15 best places in the world for book lovers.
Here's our guide of what to read during your trip, and where to buy books.
What to read
Argentine literature is dominated by the giant figures of Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortàzar, who gained international acclaim for their highly experimental, literary fiction in the 20th century.
Jorge Luis Borges' best-known anthologies of short stories and essays are Ficciones (1944), The Aleph (1949), and Labyrinths (1962), most of which are set in Buenos Aires, the city he considered ‘as eternal as water and air’.
For Cortázar, Los Premios (1960), the hugely influential Hopscotch (1963) and 62: A Model Kit (1968) are three of his most prestigious works.
Other giants of Argentine 20th century literature include:
- Adolfo Bioy Casares. A close friend and collaborator of Jorge Luis Borges, he is most famous for The Invention of Morel, often regarded as one of the best pieces of fantastic fiction ever written.
- Leopoldo Marechal. Primarily a poet, with ties to the Parisian Marechal also wrote the experimental and parodic novel Adam Buenosayres.
- Manuel Puig. Another experimental writer, Puig incorporated pop-culture influences into his novels and spent much of his life in political exile.
- Ernesto Sabato. A writer, painter and physicist, Sábato wrote three dark, existential novels: The Tunnel, On Heroes and Tombs, and The Angel of Darkness, which are considered among the masterpieces of Argentine literature.
- Silvina Ocampo. Sister of Victoria Ocampo, the publisher of influential literary magazine Sur, and wife of Adolfo Bioy Casares, Silvina Ocampo remains highly acclaimed for her poerty and short stories.
More recent Argentine writers to gain international recognition include journalist Tomás Eloy Martínez who wrote fictionalised biographies of Juan Domingo Perón and his wife "Evita", in The Perón Novel and Santa Evita. Argentina has also produced a wealth of noir and crime fiction, including works by Carlos Gamerro, Claudia Pineiro, whose Thursday Night Widows was turned into a successful film, Ernesto Mallo and Ricardo Piglia. In 2016, Eduardo Sacheri, author of The Secret In Their Eyes (the source of the Oscar-winning film starring Ricardo Darín), won the Alfaguera prize - one of the most prestigious literary prizes in Spanish language literature.
Bookstores
The most spectacular bookstore, possibly in all of Latin America, is the El Ateneo Grand Splendid (Av. Santa Fe 1860, Recoleta), a converted opera house and movie theatre, which retains a number of original architectural features (see above photo). The Guardian newspaper rates it in its top 10 independent bookshops worldwide. It was constructed originally as a theatre in 1919 by Max Glücksmann, a phonographic and film pioneer. In 1926 Glücksmann converted it into a sumptuous film house to show silent films accompanied by a live tango orchestra. In the early 1970s it briely became a theatre once more, but was back as a film house by the time it was closed in 1991 during tough economic times. Saved from demolition by the Ilhsa Group which owned the El Ateno bookstore chain, it reopened in 2000. Its cafe, formerly the theatre's main stage, is a great place for a quick bite and a read. With a bit of luck you might catch the live painist who entertains on afternoons.
For casual perusers or seekers of rare volumes, the largest concentration of bookstores can be found amongst the theatres along Av. Corrientes, and on Av. de Mayo. All open late, catering to the pre- and post-theatre crowds.
Other interesting independent bookstores with little cafes attached are Eterna Cadencia (Honduras 5574, Palermo) and Libros del Pasaje (Thames 1762, Palermo).
For English-language books the bookstore chain KEL stocks a range of English reading material, and Walrus Books (Estados Unidos 617, San Telmo) has an interesting collection of well-preserved second-hand books in English. The blog My Beautiful Air has some other recommendations here.
For English-language newspapers, the Buenos Aires Herald (printed and online), the Argentina Independent (online and as an app), and The Bubble offer daily political, current affairs, culture, lifestyle and sports news.
Some private companies offer book tours.
*Bibliography: wander-argentina.com/
Book Festivals
The annual Feria Internacional del Libro welcomes over 1,500 expositors, world-renowned writers (recent guests have included Paul Auster and J. M. Coetzee), and hundreds of thousands of visitors over two weeks in April/May. Importantly, the Feria is not just a festival for literature lovers, it is an important space for publishers, distributors, booksellers, literary agents, translators, illustrators, graphic designers and printers, educators and librarians to come together to learn more about the Latin American publishing industry.
The Noche de los Libros, held over a weekend every November, is another celebration of the city's rich literary culture. Bookstores along Avenida Corrientes open their doors throughout the night, with several hosting book readings, workshops, concerts and live interviews with notable authors.